Written Answers Thursday 15 December 2005

Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it collects and collates information on asylum seeker removal in order to inform its work in respect of asylum seekers.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not collect or collate information on asylum seeker removal. The removal of asylum seekers is a reserved matter. However, in relation to the process of the removal of asylum seeker families, the Scottish Executive is engaged in positive discussions with the Home Office

Biodiversity

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the lists of (a) species and flora and fauna and (b) habitats considered by the Scottish ministers to be of principal importance for the purposes of section 1(1) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive today published the Scottish Biodiversity List on the Biodiversity Scotland website at: http://www.biodiversityscotland.gov.uk/pageType2.php?id=35&type=2&navID=92 .

  Overseen by scientists from the Scottish Biodiversity Committee, this is an exciting development in our knowledge of biodiversity in Scotland as it is the first time such a stock take has been done in Scotland.

  The Scottish Biodiversity List comprises four spreadsheets: terrestrial and freshwater species, terrestrial and freshwater habitats; marine species and habitats, and the results of the social survey. The criteria and the consultants’ reports which led to the production of these lists will also be available from the same link.

  The publication of the Scottish Biodiversity List satisfies the requirement in the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act to publish by 1 January 2006 such lists to inform the further conservation of biodiversity by public bodies in doing their Biodiversity Duty.

  It is expected that the Scottish Biodiversity List will form an important information source for all.

Bridges

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of vehicles crossing the Forth Road Bridge are single occupancy and whether it has any plans to address this issue.

Tavish Scott: Over 70% of cars crossing the bridge at peak times have a single occupant. This devolved government is working closely with the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and other stakeholders to address access and congestion issues associated with the bridge. We have made contributions to a number initiatives such as the expansion of Ferry Toll Park and Ride and the improvement of rail services across the Forth.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment for Caledonian MacBrayne employees to receive actuarially equivalent pension funds, whether the Executive or the operator of the Clyde and Hebrides lifeline ferry services will be responsible in the long term for ensuring the value of the pensions.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is working closely with the Caledonian MacBrayne and the Trustees of the Caledonian MacBrayne Pension Fund in an effort to finalise this aspect of the proposed restructuring of the company in preparation for the tendering exercise. These discussions are on-going and being taken forward in a constructive manner to ensure that the pension provisions for transferring staff are protected.

  We are committed to adopting the policies set out in HM Treasury Guidance, "Staff Transfers from Central Government, a Fair Deal for Staff Pensions". We will make clear the detail of the proposed changes to the pension arrangements once we have concluded our discussions with the trustees and the company.

Care of Elderly People

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS psychiatric beds for elderly people have been contracted to the private sector in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Climate Change

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the Minister for Environment and Rural Development’s participation in the recent climate change talks in Montreal.

Ross Finnie: The Climate Leaders’ Summit hosted by Québec and Manitoba brought together representatives of federal states, regions, devolved governments and major corporations from around the world. The main outcome of this summit was the signing of a declaration: this recognises that climate change is an urgent, global problem and defines a number of actions, including the setting of achievable targets for emissions reductions. This supports the commitment already made by the Executive to set climate change targets, details of which will be announced in the revised Scottish Climate Change Programme to be published early next year. A copy of the declaration is available on the Scottish Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange .

  The summit was also an opportunity to meet with ministers from regional governments and I look forward to exploring future collaboration on climate change covering a wide range of areas, including best practice in developing emerging green industries, sharing communications and educational strategies and implementing policies to enhance adaptive capacity to assist communities response to the changing climate.

Economy

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on its priority of growing the economy.

Allan Wilson: Significant progress has been made. Over the year to 2005 Q2 the Scottish economy annual growth rate was above our long-term annual average of 1.7 per cent, and at its highest for four years. Additionally, the labour market is strong, with the employment rate above that of the UK and amongst the highest in the EU-25, and unemployment at its lowest for a generation.

  We recognise, however, that in order to achieve long-term economic success we need to raise productivity through a broad range of measures. The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland sets out our priorities for improving the competitiveness of the Scottish economy.

Economy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it expects the imposition of a 20% supplementary corporation tax rate on oil and gas producers to affect the (a) north-east’s and (b) Scottish economy.

Allan Wilson: This issue is reserved to the UK Government. Due to the nature of the North Sea fiscal regime and the levels of long-term investment, it is unlikely that there will be any significant effect on investment or employment in either the north east or in Scotland overall. The pre-budget report announced additional measures to ensure that any impacts on investment are mitigated, including the commitment that there will be no further increases in North Sea taxation during the lifetime of the UK Parliament.

Further Education

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had in respect of funding the grouping of rural further education colleges.

Nicol Stephen: Responsibility for funding Scotland’s further education colleges lies with the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council. As part of that responsibility, the Funding Council has undertaken a review of the remoteness element of the core grant which it provides to colleges.

  The funding council plans to meet with college representatives in January to discuss the outcome of the review.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is putting in place to prevent deaths from hypothermia this winter.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is implementing a number of measures including the central heating and Warm Deal Programmes, the Chief Medical Officer’s Wrap Up for Winter Campaign and the annual influenza campaign.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the rates of (a) overweight and (b) obesity have been amongst (i) children under 11, (ii) children aged between 11 and 18 and (iii) adults in each year since 1997.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not collect information on obesity and overweight in the age bands specified. Information on rates of overweight and obesity amongst children is collected through the Child Health Surveillance Programmes for school-aged and pre-school aged children. Information is collected for school-aged children in Primary 1 (four to five years), Primary 7 (11 to 12 years) and S3 (14 to 15 years). Pre-school information is collected during the 39 to 42 month child health review when children are approximately three to three and a half years old. This information is provided below. These systems are not yet fully implemented across Scotland and so data is provided for the ten NHS board areas currently available.

  The most reliable figures on adult obesity are published in the Scottish Health Survey. Surveys have been conducted in 1995, 1998 and 2003. The most recent figures from the 2003 Scottish Health Survey are provided at Table 3.

  (i) Table 1a shows, for those ten NHS board areas available, the levels of overweight and obesity in children who have received a 39 to 42 month pre-school review (aged approximately three and a half years).

  Table 1a: Percentage of Overweight and Obese Children (for those Receiving a 39 to 42 Month Pre-School Review)

  

 Year of Birth
 No. of Children Reviewed
 % Obese1
 % Overweight2


 1997
 35,492
 7.7
 19.9


 1998
 35,592
 8.2
 20.9


 1999
 34,653
 8.0
 20.8


 2000
 32,378
 8.1
 20.2


 2001P
 29,617
 8.6
 20.7



  Source: CHSP-PS, ISD Scotland.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Includes obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 95th centile).

  2. Includes overweight, obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 85th centile).

  Table 1b shows, for those NHS board areas available, the levels of overweight and obesity amongst those children who have received a Primary 1 and Primary 7 review (aged approximately four to five and 11 to 12 years respectively).

  Table 1b: Percentage of Overweight and Obese Children (for those Receiving a Primary 1 and Primary 7 Review)

  

 School Year
 Primary 1
 Primary 7


 No. of Children Reviewed
 % Obese1
 % Overweight2
 No. of Children Reviewed
 % Obese1
 % Overweight2


 2000-01
 12,753
 8.0
 19.7
 13,480
 16.6
 30.4


 2001-02
 12,850
 8.5
 21.0
 14,085
 17.5
 32.5


 2002-03
 16,273
 8.8
 21.8
 15,020
 17.5
 32.5


 2003-04
 16,761
 9.0
 21.8
 13,979
 18.2
 32.5


 2004-05
 21,609
 9.0
 21.5
 13,874
 19.4
 34.1



  Source: CHSP-PS, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Includes obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 95th centile).

  2. Includes overweight, obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 85th centile).

  (ii) Table 2 shows, for those NHS board areas available, the levels of overweight and obesity amongst those children who have received a Secondary 3 (aged approximately 14 to 15 years).

  Table 2: Percentage of Overweight and Obese Children (for those Receiving a Secondary 3 review)

  

 School Year
 No. of Children Reviewed
 % Obese1
 % Overweight2


 2000-01
 10,342
 14.8
 28.4


 2001-02
 9,952
 16.1
 30.2


 2002-03
 9,155
 16.4
 31.0


 2003-04
 9,624
 16.7
 30.9


 2004-05
 9,270
 16.5
 31.3



  Source: CHSP-PS, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Includes obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 95th centile).

  2. Includes overweight, obese and severely obese children (i.e. all children >= 85th centile).

  Notes relating to tables 1 and 2:

  1. Data presented were extracted from the Child Health Surveillance Programmes – Pre School (CHSP-S) and School systems.

  2. The CHSP-PS system was introduced in 1991 and now covers 10 NHS boards (Argyll and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside).

  3. The CHSP-S system was introduced in 1995 and now covers 10 NHS Boards (Argyll and Clyde, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Forth Valley, Grampian, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Tayside and Western Isles). However, some have been introduced to the system fairly recently and therefore this analysis has concentrated on Argyll and Clyde, Borders, Fife, Lanarkshire, West Lothian NHS Trust and Tayside.

  4. The surveillance systems routinely collect data on height and weight. These data can be used to calculate body mass index (BMI) and estimate the prevalence of over and under-nutrition in Scottish children.

  5. BMI is a simple ratio of weight adjusted for height (weight(kg)/height(m)2) which provides an index of fatness or thinness. The prevalence of over and under-nutrition in a population of children relative to the UK 1990 population can be estimated by comparing the distribution of this ratio.

  6. For the purposes of this analysis, those children who are on and above the 85th centile are defined as overweight. Those on or above the 95th centile are defined as obese.

  (iii) Table 3 shows rates of overweight and obesity in Scottish adults based on data from the 2003 Scottish Health Survey.

  Table 3: Prevalence (%) of Overweight and Obesity in 1998 and 2003, Scotland, ages 16 to 641

  

 
 Overweight, Obese and Morbidly Obese
 Obese and Morbidly Obese


 Males 1998
 61.0
 18.8


 2003
 64.0
 22.0


 Females 1998
 52.2
 20.9


 2003
 57.3
 23.8



  Note: 1. Excerpt from Scottish Health Survey 2003, Table 5.7: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/17861/10352.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average body mass index was in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive figures showing average body mass index in NHS board areas are derived from the Scottish Health Survey as the most reliable and accurate source of this information. Scottish Health Surveys have taken place in 1995, 1998 and 2003 and so there are no figures for 1999, nor are there annual figures.

  Table 1 Shows the Average Body Mass Index (BMI (kg/m2) in each NHS board area from the 2003 Scottish Health Survey.

  Table 1: Average Body Mass Index in 2003, by NHS Board, ages 16+1

  

 
 Average Body Mass Index2


 Argyll and Clyde
 27.3


 Ayrshire and Arran
 27.3


 Borders
 27.1


 Dumfries and Galloway
 27.6


 Fife
 27.1


 Forth Valley
 26.8


 Grampian
 26.9


 Greater Glasgow
 26.7


 Highland
 27.4


 Lanarkshire
 27.5


 Lothian
 27.0


 Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles
 27.7


 Tayside
 27.2


 Scotland
 27.1



  Notes:

  1. Extract from Scottish Health Survey 2003, Health Board Tables: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/76169/0019728.xls.

  2. Some of these estimates are based on small samples.

  The 1998 Scottish Health Survey reported average Body Mass Index, but not in a comparable format to that available for the 2003 Scottish Health Survey. Sex and region-specific estimates for the age range 16 to 74 years in 1998 are shown in table 2.

  Table 2: Average Body Mass Index in 1998, by Region, ages 16 to 741

  

 
 Males2
 Females2


 Highlands and Islands
 26.8
 26.4


 Grampian, Tayside
 26.5
 26.7


 Lothian, Fife
 26.6
 26.2


 Borders, Dumfries and Galloway
 26.2
 27.0


 Greater Glasgow
 26.2
 26.1


 Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran
 26.7
 26.8


 Forth Valley, Argyll and Clyde
 26.7
 26.5


 Scotland
 26.5
 26.5



  Notes:

  1. Extract from Scottish Health Survey 1998, Table 13.15: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scottishhealthsurvey/.

  2. Some of these estimates are based on small samples.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have required medical treatment in the last five years following the regular ingestion of aspartame.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not collected centrally.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the bed occupancy rates for acute medical receiving wards were from October to March inclusive in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the bed occupancy rates for general medical wards were from October to March inclusive in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the percentage bed occupancy rates of acute medical/general receiving wards is not available centrally. Information on the percentage bed occupancy for acute medical specialties for the six months ending 31 March for the years 2001-05 is shown in the table.

  Percentage Acute Medical Bed Occupancy1,2; by NHS Board Area; Six Months Ending 31 March 2001-05

  

 
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005P


 Scotland
 85
 85
 85
 86
 86


 Argyll and Clyde
 88
 86
 84
 86
 88


 Ayrshire and Arran
 87
 86
 87
 88
 87


 Borders
 83
 82
 88
 86
 87


 Dumfries and Galloway
 82
 83
 82
 89
 87


 Fife
 85
 85
 82
 83
 87


 Forth Valley
 81
 81
 77
 83
 79


 Grampian
 85
 87
 87
 85
 84


 Greater Glasgow
 85
 86
 86
 86
 86


 Highland
 85
 87
 81
 83
 82


 Lanarkshire
 81
 83
 87
 91
 88


 Lothian
 87
 85
 88
 88
 90


 Shetland
 81
 83
 76
 69
 73


 Tayside
 84
 85
 87
 85
 87


 Western Isles
 81
 88
 76
 83
 78

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients admitted to acute medical receiving wards were subsequently transferred to more than one ward during their hospital stay from October to March inclusive in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information is not available.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of (a) smoking and (b) alcohol-related conditions were treated in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which information is available; what the cost of treatment was in each year, and what estimate it has made of the cost to the economy of such incidents.

Mr Andy Kerr: (a) Smoking-related conditions.

  A patient’s smoking status is not recorded centrally on most routine datasets and there are a large number of conditions which could be related to smoking, but which could also have other causes. However, peer reviewed accredited research has estimated that smoking accounts for 13,000 deaths per annum in Scotland and that a further 35,000 people are treated by the NHS for smoking-related diseases each year. The precise cost of smoking related diseases is difficult to ascertain, since cost data collected centrally from the National Health Service in Scotland cannot be attributed to individual disease. However, the cost to the NHS in Scotland of treating smoking related disease is estimated to be approximately £200 million per year.

  Table 1 shows acute hospital discharges with a main diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease or malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung, both of which are known to have an association with smoking.

  Table 1: Acute Hospital (Non-Obstetric, Non-Psychiatric) In-Patient and Day Case Discharges with a Main Diagnosis1 of Ischaemic Heart Disease or Malignant Neoplasm of Trachea, Bronchus and Lung2: Years Ending 31 March 1998 and 2005.

  

 Main Diagnosis
 1998
 2005P


 Ischaemic heart disease
 57,606
 51,097


 Malignant neoplasm of trachea bronchus and lung
 12,643
 17,092



  It is not possible to estimate the cost to the Scottish economy of such smoking related incidents.

  (b) Alcohol-related conditions

  Information is not available on the cost of treating patients for specific conditions such as those relating to the consumption of alcohol. The latest published information on the economic costs of alcohol to society can be found in Alcohol Misuse In Scotland: Trends And Costs - Final Report, dated October 2001. A copy of this report can be found by accessing: http://www.alcoholinformation.isdscotland.org/alcohol_misuse/files/Catalyst_Full.pdf

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20254 on 14 November 2005. This shows the combined figures for alcohol-related discharges from general acute and psychiatric hospitals during 1997-98 to 2001-02, and provides data for discharges from general acute hospitals only from 1997-98 to 2004-05. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS continuing care beds have been contracted to the private sector in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory obligations of accountability are in place in respect of the provision of health care by private sector providers.

Lewis Macdonald: Care services (whether provided by the public, private or voluntary sector) defined under the Regulation of Care Act (Scotland) 2001 are required to register with the Care Commission. The commission is responsible for regulating care services against the requirements of the act and associated regulations, taking account of the appropriate National Care Standards, including clinical standards published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

Higher Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the commercialisation of research carried out at universities.

Nicol Stephen: There is a growing level of Executive support for commercial spin-outs from our universities. The number of spin-outs surviving more than three years rose from 62 in 2001-02 to 83 in 2002-03.

Homelessness

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the impact of the abolition of priority need by 2012 on the provision of housing for homeless people.

Malcolm Chisholm: Research carried out by Tribal HCH, Methodology for Assessing the Implications of Expanding Priority Need , was published earlier this year and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website.

  Local authorities are also carrying out their own assessments of the impact to inform their housing and homelessness strategies. A detailed data gathering exercise was carried out earlier this year to inform preparation of the Statement on the abolition of priority need required by section 3 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003. The information provided to the Executive by each local authority can be found on the Scottish Executive’s website as can Analysis of Local Authorities Pro Formas to assess their ability to meet the abolition of the Priority Need Test which summarises and analyses the information provided.

Homelessness

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of housing lets are allocated to tenants classified as homeless, broken down by local authority.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following tables show the percentage of permanent lets by local authorities to homeless households (Table 1) and the percentage of lets to homeless households by registered social landlords (Table 2) for 2004-05. Data on private sector lets to homeless households are not available centrally.

  Table 1 Permanent Lets to Homeless Households by Local Authority: 2004-05

  

 
 All Permanent Lets
 Lets to Homeless Households
 Lets to Homeless as % of All Lets


 Scotland
 33,872
 9,454
 28


 Aberdeen City
 2,650
 266
 10


 Aberdeenshire
 1,246
 271
 22


 Angus
 882
 325
 37


 Argyll and Bute
 523
 202
 39


 Clackmannanshire
 442
 197
 45


 Dumfries and Galloway
 na
 na
 na


 Dundee City
 1,886
 167
 9


 East Ayrshire
 1,487
 222
 15


 East Dunbartonshire
 314
 124
 39


 East Lothian
 461
 143
 31


 East Renfrewshire
 250
 87
 35


 City of Edinburgh
 3,397
 1,088
 32


 Eilean Siar
 132
 47
 36


 Falkirk
 1,359
 489
 36


 Fife
 3,117
 695
 22


 Glasgow City
 na
 na
 na


 Highland
 1,364
 415
 30


 Inverclyde
 759
 207
 27


 Midlothian
 242
 131
 54


 Moray
 373
 176
 47


 North Ayrshire
 1,165
 489
 42


 North Lanarkshire
 3,680
 1,356
 37


 Orkney
 62
 17
 27


 Perth and Kinross
 610
 322
 53


 Renfrewshire
 1,489
 279
 19


 Scottish Borders
 na
 na
 na


 Shetland
 199
 28
 14


 South Ayrshire
 829
 239
 29


 South Lanarkshire
 2,492
 482
 19


 Stirling
 460
 136
 30


 West Dunbartonshire 
 1,123
 428
 38


 West Lothian
 879
 426
 48



  Source: Lettings returns by local authorities to Scottish Executive Development Department Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics).

  Note: Following housing stock transfers, figures for Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Scottish Borders are not included.

  Table 2 Permanent Lets to Homeless Households by Registered Social Landlords: 2004-05

  

 
 All Lets
 Permanent Lets to Homeless Households
 Lets to Homeless as % of All Lets


 Scotland
 29,299
 3,505
 12


 Registered social landlords operating in one local authority area
 
 
 


 Aberdeen City
 3
 -
 -


 Aberdeenshire
 128
 2
 2


 Argyll and Bute
 221
 11
 5


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,271
 431
 34


 Dundee City
 12
 -
 -


 East Ayrshire
 210
 24
 11


 East Dunbartonshire
 44
 -
 -


 East Lothian
 112
 -
 -


 East Renfrewshire
 118
 2
 2


 City of Edinburgh
 680
 80
 12


 Eilean Siar
 40
 6
 15


 Fife
 274
 12
 4


 City of Glasgow
 10,672
 1,883
 18


 Highland
 167
 15
 9


 Inverclyde
 341
 30
 9


 Moray
 40
 4
 10


 North Ayrshire
 72
 10
 14


 North Lanarkshire
 434
 43
 10


 Orkney Islands
 95
 2
 2


 Perth and Kinross
 214
 45
 21


 Renfrewshire
 866
 27
 3


 Scottish Borders
 1,354
 244
 18


 Shetland Islands
 62
 2
 3


 South Ayrshire
 206
 20
 10


 South Lanarkshire
 318
 11
 3


 Stirling
 149
 -
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 535
 106
 20


 West Lothian
 336
 41
 12


 Registered social landlords operating in more than one local authority area
 10,325
 454
 4



  Source: Annual Performance and Statistical Return by registered social landlords to Communities Scotland Regulation and Inspection Division.

  Notes:

  1. Local authority percentages are indicative only as one third of lets are by registered social landlords which operate over more than one local authority area. Figures from these organisations cannot at present be broken down by local authority.

  2. The following symbols are used in the tables:

  -nil.

  *less than 0.5%.

Hospitals

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accident and emergency admissions involving patients of NHS Lanarkshire there have been to NHS Greater Glasgow hospitals in the last five years, broken down by hospital.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adults and (b) adults with children have temporarily been housed in bed and breakfast accommodation since 1999, broken down by quarter and local authority area, and how many it expects to be housed in this way in the quarter ended 31 December 2005.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive collects snapshot data on the number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter, including information on households in bed and breakfast. Information distinguishing households with dependent children, including number of children, has been collected since March 2001. Data for the quarters from December 2001 are available on-line in the publications section of the housing statistics branch reference site: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref .

  Information on numbers in temporary accommodation at 31 December 2005 will be supplied to the Executive by councils as part of the quarterly homelessness summary return (HL2 return) for quarter 4 2005.

  A table providing the available information for each local authority for each quarter from 31 March 1999 to 31 December 2001 will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38352).

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the effectiveness of suspension of the right of local authorities to require proof of a local connection in allocating housing.

Malcolm Chisholm: Local authorities and registered social landlords are legislatively required to open their housing list to all residents in their area who are aged over 16 and to those who wish to move to the area for employment, medical or social reasons or because they are suffering from harassment or risk of domestic abuse. Guidance makes clear that applicants for housing should not be debarred because they have no local connection with an area, although local connection might be a factor in determining priority. No research on this specific aspect of allocations has been carried out.

  Local connection is taken into account in homelessness legislation. Certain homeless households who do not have a local connection with the local authority to whom they have applied may be referred to another authority where they do have such a connection. The Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 allows for the modification of the local connection provisions and research has been carried out to inform these changes - which have not yet taken place. This research, Operation of Power to Modify Local Connection Provisions, was published earlier this year and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website. Consultation on modifying the local connection provisions in homelessness legislation will take place in 2006.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that water and sewerage services are not a barrier to the provision of affordable housing to rent or buy.

Rhona Brankin: Ministers announced the objectives for Scottish Water’s next investment programme to the Parliament on the 9 February. Amongst these is an objective which requires Scottish Water to provide sufficient strategic capacity to meet the needs of all estimated new development.

  The announcement also noted that funding of £14 million would be made available in each year of the next investment programme specifically to reflect the cost of local water and sewerage infrastructure required by affordable housing projects grant aided through Communities Scotland funding programme. This would be in addition to any contribution from Scottish Water, which will be in line with the approach set out in February for funding new connections to the public network, and the forthcoming Provision of Water and Sewerage Services (Reasonable Cost) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an agreement with the Ministry of Defence in respect of the further release of properties for affordable housing to rent or buy.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is no national agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the disposal of surplus MoD properties, although I understand that some local arrangements exist between local authorities and the MoD, such as in Moray. National framework agreements with public bodies, including UK Government Departments, are, however, being investigated in order to secure transfers of land in areas where particular need has been identified.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been carried out to ascertain the amount of appropriate sheltered housing for elderly people needed to meet (a) current and (b) future demand, broken down by local authority.

Malcolm Chisholm: Local authorities have a duty to consider the housing needs of their population, including the need for sheltered housing. While the Scottish Executive has not made an assessment of the amount of sheltered housing needed to meet current and future demand, it has recently established the Review of Older People’s Housing (ROOPH) Working Group. This group will look into the housing needs of older people, and is particularly interested in sheltered housing, and how that might contribute towards the needs of the increasing number of older people in Scotland.

  The Range and Capacity Review Group has been examining evidence on the future health of older people and investigating models of care and use of services and support will report in the new year. As part of their work, the group has examined best practice in integrated capacity planning between health boards and local authorities to ensure, among other things, effective support for people in their own homes and, where needed, the provision of sheltered and very sheltered housing.

  In developing their local housing strategies (LHS) local authorities should consider the housing needs of particular groups including households with care and support needs. The recommendations of these groups will be incorporated into updated LHS guidance.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available on the socio-economic profile of purchasers of resold right-to-buy properties.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish House Condition Survey asks all respondents who are either owner occupiers or private renters whether the house which they currently occupy was ever owned by a local council or housing association. The survey also asks respondents who are owner occupiers whether they bought the property under the right-to-buy scheme.

  The tables give information on household type and age of highest income householder from the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey for those respondents to the survey who were owner occupiers, said that they were living in a house which had previously been owned by a local council or housing association but which they had not bought under the right-to-buy scheme

  Table A: Estimated Percentage of Households in Resold Right-to-Buy Properties by Household Type

  

 Household type
 % of Households in Resold Right-to-buy Properties


 Single adult
 16%


 Small adult
 19%


 Single parent
 5%


 Small family
 24%


 Large family
 8%


 Large adult
 8%


 Older smaller
 11%


 Single pensioner
 10%


 All households in resold right-to-buy properties
 100%



  Table B: Estimated Percentage of Households by Age of Highest Income Householder in Resold Right-to-Buy Properties

  

 Age of Highest Income Householder
 % of Households in Resold Right-to-buy Properties


 16-24
 4%


 25-39
 41%


 40-59
 33%


 60-64
 6%


 65-74
 10%


 75-80
 4%


 Over 80
 3%


 All households in resold right-to-buy properties
 100%



  Notes:

  Text of reply describes how households in resold right-to-buy properties were identified from the survey.

  Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1%.

Maternity Services

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to secure consultant-led maternity services across Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: The national policy context is laid out in the Framework for Maternity Services published in 2001 and the report of the Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS) published in 2002. The EGAMS report provides guidance for NHS boards on levels of care, ensuring that women get access to the correct level of care for their needs. It is for NHS boards to plan the location and type of maternity services provided for their local population within a regional network.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations there are on NHS boards to ensure the quality of care of patients whose care has been contracted to the private sector.

Mr Andy Kerr: When NHS boards contract for care with the independent sector, they continue to have primary responsibility for ensuring that quality standards are met.

National Parks

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20781 by Rhona Brankin on 29 November 2005, how much funding was made available for enforcement costs to the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority.

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Rhona Brankin: The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority is expected to fund all its activities from within its overall budget. The Executive has indicated that, to the extent that the park authority faced additional and previously unforeseen costs, associated with enforcement and bringing forward the byelaw review process, that could not be contained within this year’s budget, additional funds would be made available.

  Following ministers’ consideration of the allocation of end year flexibility resources, officials wrote to the park authority to indicate that additional resources were being made available to support various projects. This included £71,000 to assist in delivering the byelaw review and to help with enforcement activity.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20863 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 November 2005 and if it is the case that failure to meet a particular contractual commitment is not a breach of contract, what the definition is of a breach of contract.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20863 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 November 2005, what the distinction is between "failure to meet a particular contractual commitment" and "a breach of contract".

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20863 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 November 2005 and if it is the case that failure to meet a particular contractual commitment is not a breach of contract, whether this is the position in relation to all contracts it or its agencies sign or just in the specific case of the contract with Premier Prison Services Ltd to operate HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The responsibilities of each of the contracting parties are fully defined in the Minute of the Agreement to the contract which can be viewed at www.sps.gov.uk.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20863 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 November 2005 and if it is the case that failure to meet a particular contractual commitment is not a breach of contract, whether it considers that its contracts are rigorously enough drafted to ensure that contractors adhere to their contractual commitments.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Failure to report a performance measure would lead to the application of the appropriate performance points. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-17042 on 17 June 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Public Bodies

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) have been created since May 2003; what the total cost has been, and how many people they employ.

Mr Tom McCabe: Six new NDPBs and four Executive Agencies have been established since May 2003. Current Scottish Executive funding for these bodies totals £21.6 million and they currently employ a total of 257 staff, including casual/temporary staff.

Public Transport

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that any legal action may be taken as a result of the changed status of Strathclyde Passenger Transport and what budgetary provision has been made for the costs arising from such action.

Tavish Scott: The Executive has not been notified of any legal action as a result of the coming into force of The Transfer of Rail Functions To The Scottish ministers Order 2005 on 28 November 2005.

Public Transport

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure improvements in the quality, reliability and punctuality of public transport between Fife and Edinburgh, in light of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority’s intention to introduce a peak time premium charge for crossing the Forth Road Bridge.

Tavish Scott: The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail project will divert coal traffic away from the Forth Bridge improving reliability of passenger services and providing the opportunity to expand passenger services between Fife and Edinburgh. In addition, the Franchise Agreement contains robust performance regimes under which First ScotRail incur substantial financial penalties where performance targets fail to be met as well as a programme of works and improvements to rail journey quality.

  The recent expansion of the Ferrytoll Park and Ride and current work to provide bus priority on the approach to the bridge are positive steps to encourage more people to choose the bus. In addition, the Traffic Commissioner has powers to investigate and impose sanctions where bus operators fail to run their registered services to the required standard.

  The South-East of Scotland Transport Partnership will be producing a regional transport strategy for transport within its region. The transport strategy should include provision for meeting the need for efficient transport links between heavily populated places.

Public Transport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for increasing the use of public transport.

Tavish Scott: In 2005-06, for the first time, we are spending over £1 billion on transport, increasing to almost £1.4 billion by 2007-08. 70% of this will be spent on public transport over the period of the long-term investment plan.

  This investment will lead to sustained improvements in public transport and encourage people to use sustainable forms of transport in preference to the car.

  In terms of longer term strategy, the Executive is in the process of developing a National Transport Strategy (NTS) for Scotland. The NTS will give a long-term strategic framework for developments in all modes of transport, including public transport.

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice it has obtained in respect of the use of Scottish airports for CIA rendition flights.

Cathy Jamieson: No. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21215 on 14 December 2005, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many wind farm applications it has (a) approved and (b) rejected in the last five years and how many applications are awaiting a decision.

Allan Wilson: In the last five years the Scottish ministers in exercise of their powers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have granted consent for 11 wind farms. In the same period no wind farm applications were refused. Currently 31 further such applications are under consideration.

Renewable Energy

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed second National Planning Framework will identify the need for wind farms which generate more than 50 megawatts of electricity and whether it will prescribe areas of search for wind farm development.

Malcolm Chisholm: Spatial planning issues relating to wind farms will primarily be considered through the current review of National Planning Policy Guideline 6: Renewable Energy.  The outcome of this work will be reflected in the second National Planning Framework.

Road Accidents

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cyclist casualties have been treated by the NHS in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of in-patient discharges from acute hospitals in Scotland relating to pedal cyclists and motor cycle riders involved in transport accidents following admission as an emergency is shown in the table.

  Some patients involved in such accidents will be treated as out-patients in Accident and Emergency departments, however it is not possible to identify the reason for attendance at Accident and Emergency departments from centrally held data.

  Table 1: Pedal Cyclists and Motorcycle Riders Injured in Transport Accidents who were Admitted to Hospital as an Emergency, Years Ending 31 March 2001-05

  

 
 Year Ending 31 March


 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 1,301
 1,197
 1,141
 1,242
 1,180


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 678
 762
 765
 784
 725


 Argyll and Clyde
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 46
 42
 47
 53
 53


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 46
 57
 33
 66
 52


 Ayrshire and Arran
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 101
 89
 96
 111
 99


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 43
 58
 58
 49
 51


 Borders
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 28
 22
 39
 26
 45


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 18
 24
 18
 21
 18


 Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 41
 39
 36
 34
 38


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 28
 26
 31
 20
 19


 Fife
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 79
 71
 60
 57
 71


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 33
 49
 45
 62
 44


 Forth Valley
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 87
 79
 62
 61
 79


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 34
 34
 35
 43
 36


 Grampian
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 190
 174
 170
 209
 179


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 96
 97
 140
 123
 119


 Greater Glasgow
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 202
 189
 179
 194
 146


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 49
 74
 65
 52
 68


 Highland
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 114
 113
 97
 118
 132


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 105
 102
 97
 104
 73


 Lanarkshire
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 75
 73
 81
 90
 50


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 50
 42
 54
 42
 51


 Lothian
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 201
 184
 161
 171
 176


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 100
 119
 105
 106
 119


 Orkney Islands
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 7
 8
 6
 2
 9


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 4
 4
 6
 9
 7


 Shetland Islands
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 4
 4
 9
 3
 2


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 6
 2
 3
 2
 -


 Tayside
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 117
 104
 91
 107
 96


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 63
 69
 65
 78
 66


 Western Isles
 
 
 
 
 


 Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident
 9
 6
 7
 6
 5


 Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident
 3
 5
 10
 7
 2



  Notes:

  1. These statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric (SMR01) hospitals in Scotland.

  2. Information on hospital discharges relates to episodes of in-patient care rather than individual patients.

  3. Up to six diagnoses (one principal, five secondary) can be recorded on SMR01 returns. The figures in the table relate to in-patient discharges involving any mention of the following external cause codes from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Other Health elated Problems, tenth revision (ICD10):

  (a) Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident: V10-V19.

  (b) Motorcycle rider injured in transport accident: V20-V29.

Roads

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis has been carried out of the projected impact of the A68 northern bypass on traffic flows.

Tavish Scott: Our consultants have constructed a traffic model based on the Transport Model for Scotland which takes into account the potential patronage of the Borders Railway. It has allowed us to predict the amount of traffic which will divert to the A68 Dalkeith Northern Bypass once Midlothian Council’s planned pedestrianisation is in place. On the basis of these traffic figures we are able to calculate the benefits which will accrue as a result of the scheme and confirm that the scheme satisfies the necessary value for money criterion of providing a positive net present value.

  Further work is being done on the traffic modelling of the Edinburgh City Bypass but this is tied in with wider issues such as the Shawfair Development and the future of the Sheriffhall Roundabout. This work is on-going but, if anything, is expected to increase the traffic diverting from Dalkeith on to the new bypass, and hence its economic value.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the conversion of the Auchenkilns Roundabout on the A80 to a grade separated junction indicates its preference for upgrading the A80 through Cumbernauld to full motorway status.

Tavish Scott: The preference for an on line route was announced in 1997 and reaffirmed by the Strategic Roads Review in 1999. The decision to proceed to construct the new Auchenkilns Junction was taken on the economic benefits of that scheme.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the benefits to be of the new Auchenkilns grade separated junction on the A80.

Tavish Scott: The new junction has removed a significant bottleneck from the A80. It will greatly ease traffic flow, improving journey times, reliability and removing pollution generated as a result of queuing traffic.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest cost estimates are for (a) upgrading the A80 from Stepps to Haggs through Cumbernauld to full motorway status and (b) constructing a motorway through the identified Kelvin Valley route to join the M80 at Stepps to the M80 at Haggs.

Tavish Scott: The estimated total scheme cost of the on line route lies in the range £127 million to £146 million excluding VAT at 2004 quarter 1 prices. The equivalent range for a route through the Kelvin Valley is £239 to £271 million.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the construction of motorways through major urban settlements.

Tavish Scott: There is no pre-defined policy. The options for the route of a new motorway are judged against the Governments five assessment criteria of Integration, Economy, Safety, Environment, and Accessibility.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it takes the impact on the (a) environment and (b) health of the local population into consideration when deciding on the route of any motorway which it is considering constructing.

Tavish Scott: Yes. These issues are covered in an Environmental Statement which is published with the draft scheme orders.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the ideal distance should be of a major urban settlement from any motorway.

Tavish Scott: There is no such specified standard.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the volume of traffic on the A80.

Tavish Scott: Should it be necessary to control the volume of traffic on the new route to preserve good traffic flow conditions, then measures will be considered to restrict access to the road at junctions and on the motorway upstream of the scheme to give priority to buses, HGVs and multiple occupancy vehicles.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the volume of traffic on the A803.

Tavish Scott: The A803 is a local road and it is the statutory responsibility of North Lanarkshire Council as local roads authority to manage the operation and maintenance of its local roads, including addressing any issues relating to traffic volumes.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow for sufficient room for the construction of a hard shoulder in any new motorways it plans to build.

Tavish Scott: Hard shoulders will be included where practicable and economic.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it estimates that the (a) upgrading of the A80 from Stepps to Haggs through Cumbernauld to full motorway status and (b) construction of a motorway through the identified Kelvin Valley route to join the M80 at Stepps to the M80 at Haggs would take.

Tavish Scott: The current estimate for both routes is a maximum of three years.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it would manage any disruption to traffic caused in the event of the A80 from Stepps to Haggs through Cumbernauld being upgraded to full motorway status.

Tavish Scott: There will be a requirement on the contractor to maintain two lanes open in each direction on weekdays between 6am and 8pm. Similar arrangements have been used on other major projects on the A720, the A8, and the Auchenkilns upgrade.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to upgrade the road network around Kilsyth in order to improve links from the town to the rest of Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The roads connecting Kilsyth to the rest of the Scottish public road network are local roads and are therefore the statutory responsibility of North Lanarkshire Council.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the upgrading of the A80 from Stepps to Haggs through Cumbernauld to full motorway status or the construction of a motorway through the identified Kelvin Valley route to join the M80 at Stepps to the M80 at Haggs would cause less disruption to existing traffic flow.

Tavish Scott: By maintaining two lanes open in each direction between 6am and 8pm, the disruption of constructing an on line upgrade will be minimised. Self evidently, construction of an off line route would cause even less disruption.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an upgrade to the A80 from Stepps to Haggs through Cumbernauld to full motorway status would accommodate the volume of traffic expected on that route in (a) 10, (b) 20 and (c) 30 years time.

Tavish Scott: The M80 on line upgrade is not designed for unconstrained growth. If required, integral demand management measures will be deployed to maintain an acceptable level of service on the route.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact would be on air pollution and noise pollution in the immediate vicinity of the A80 through Cumbernauld if it was upgraded to full motorway status.

Tavish Scott: In terms of air quality, more locations will experience beneficial rather than adverse impacts. The benefits would be greatest in the bypassed communities of Muirhead, Chryston and Moodiesburn. Between Mollinsburn and Haggs the majority of impacts will be insignificant. In terms of noise, the proposed scheme would result in a mostly beneficial impact on the area.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid in compensation by each local authority in the last year as a result of claims by motorists for accidents or damage to vehicles caused by the structural condition of the road.

Tavish Scott: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of roads, by distance, in (a) Scotland and (b) the west of Scotland is classified as (i) motorways and (ii) A class, (iii) B class and (iv) C class roads.

Tavish Scott: The information requested is given in table number 5.2 of Scottish Transport Statistics 2005 edition, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37306).

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the additional (a) £70 million capital and (b) £60 million revenue funding allocated to local authorities in February 2002 for local roads was allocated to West Dunbartonshire Council.

Tavish Scott: An additional £70 million of general capital consent was allocated to local authorities as part of Spending Review 2000, of which West Dunbartonshire’s additional allocation was £987,000, bringing their total, un-hypothecated consent under Section 94, Local Government in Scotland Act 1973, to £5.259 million for 2001-02

  £20 million was allocated to local authorities in February 2002 to help tackle the backlog of repairs to roads and bridges. West Dunbartonshire Council’s share of this additional funding was £221,000.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the additional (a) £70 million capital and (b) £60 million revenue funding allocated to local authorities in February 2002 for local roads was allocated to East Dunbartonshire Council.

Tavish Scott: An additional £70 million of general capital consent was allocated to local authorities as part of Spending Review 2000, of which East Dunbartonshire’s additional allocation was £1.189 million, bringing their total un-hypothecated consent under section 94, Local Government in Scotland Act 1973, to £5.722 million for 2001-02.

  £20 million was allocated to local authorities in February 2002 to help tackle the backlog of repairs to roads and bridges. East Dunbartonshire Council’s share of this additional funding was £338,000.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the additional capital and revenue funding allocated to East Dunbartonshire Council in February 2002 for local roads has been spent on local roads maintenance.

Tavish Scott: East Dunbartonshire Council were allocated an additional £338,000 in February 2002. All of this funding was put towards maintenance of local roads and bridges.

  This funding was part of the £20 million given to local authorities across Scotland to help them tackle the backlog of repairs and maintenance on local roads and bridges. The award was in revenue form to allow local authorities to target the cash to bring improvements forward quickly.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of each local authority’s budget was spent on local road maintenance in the last year for which figures are available.

Tavish Scott: The figures provided in the table below were notified by councils in their latest Provisional Outturn Budget Estimates (POBE) return for 2005-06.

  

 
Roads Maintenance(£000)
Total Net Expenditure(£000)
 Roads Maintenance as % of Total Expenditure


 Scotland
 192,395
 10,245,362
 1.9%


 Aberdeen City
 4,789
 386,306
 1.2%


 Aberdeenshire
 9,859
 424,141
 2.3%


 Angus
 3,584
 208,989
 1.7%


 Argyll and Bute
 6,363
 210,264
 3.0%


 Clackmannanshire
 1,272
 91,005
 1.4%


 Dumfries and Galloway
 9,121
 304,431
 3.0%


 Dundee City
 2,190
 305,720
 0.7%


 East Ayrshire
 4,174
 231,524
 1.8%


 East Dunbartonshire
 2,381
 199,497
 1.2%


 East Lothian
 2,667
 174,639
 1.5%


 East Renfrewshire
 1,525
 171,855
 0.9%


 Edinburgh, City of
 10,334
 828,938
 1.2%


 Eilean Siar
 3,494
 103,457
 3.4%


 Falkirk
 2,614
 271,900
 1.0%


 Fife
 12,346
 664,517
 1.9%


 Glasgow City
 18,007
 1,384,237
 1.3%


 Highland
 10,056
 465,157
 2.2%


 Inverclyde
 2,840
 184,509
 1.5%


 Midlothian
 3,196
 159,676
 2.0%


 Moray
 5,498
 167,307
 3.3%


 North Ayrshire
 5,899
 270,171
 2.2%


 North Lanarkshire
 8,738
 605,080
 1.4%


 Orkney Islands
 3,160
 61,478
 5.1%


 Perth and Kinross
 6,432
 259,623
 2.5%


 Renfrewshire
 8,153
 340,535
 2.4%


 Scottish Borders
 6,676
 221,454
 3.0%


 Shetland Islands
 4,275
 90,803
 4.7%


 South Ayrshire
 3,524
 216,346
 1.6%


 South Lanarkshire
 18,845
 566,618
 3.3%


 Stirling
 3,048
 176,831
 1.7%


 West Dunbartonshire
 2,626
 202,179
 1.3%


 West Lothian
 4,709
 296,175
 1.6%

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bidders there have been for each competitive tender for road capital projects over the value of £10 million in each of the last 10 years.

Tavish Scott: The number of bidders for trunk road contracts over £10 million in value let by the Scottish Executive is tabulated in the following:

  

 Year
 Scheme
 No. of Tenderers


 2001
 A830 Arisaig to Kinsadel
 3


 2001
 A1 Haddington to Dunbar Expressway
 5


 2002
 A8 Baillieston to Newhouse
 3


 2002
 M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh
 3


 2003
 A78 Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenson Bypass
 3


 2003
 A80 Auchenkilns Junction Improvement
 2


 2003
 A985 Kincardine Eastern Link Road
 3


 2005
 A68 Dalkeith Bypass
 3*


 2005
 A90 Glendoick and Kinfauns Interchanges
 4*


 2005
 A830 Arisaig to Loch Nan Uahm
 3*


 2005
 A876 Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine
 3*



  Note: *The number of bidders invited to tender for contracts that are currently out to tender.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns in respect of the number of bidders for recent competitive tenders for road capital projects.

Tavish Scott: No. We are content that the level of competition for recent contracts has secured good value tender prices.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20246 by Cathy Jamieson on 17 November 2005, whether this indicates that fingerprint identification is ultimately a matter of opinion of the experts examining the specific fingerprint in question.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Fingerprint Service agrees with the internationally accepted definition that fingerprint evidence is expert opinion of identification based on the scientific fact that fingerprints are unique to every individual. An identification is made when the fingerprint expert is personally satisfied that the order, relationships and unique properties of the features within any two prints are in agreement with no features in disagreement which cannot be explained.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, when the annual competency tests and Continuous Professional Development programme were introduced for fingerprint experts.

Cathy Jamieson: The annual competency tests for fingerprint officers in the Scottish Fingerprint Service began in 2002. The Continuous Professional Development programme was introduced in 2003.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-20244 and S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, whether it is able to comment on the proposition that the on-going publicity in respect of the case referred to in these answers is causing damage to its own reputation and that of the Scottish Criminal Record Office and the Scottish Fingerprint Service, as well as the wider justice system.

Cathy Jamieson: The case in question arises from an identification made in 1997. Since then more than 2,000 identifications made by officers in Glasgow have been verified by experts from the Metropolitan Police Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In addition, fingerprint officers now have annual competency tests and are subject to a Continuous Professional Development Programme. The processes used are subject to internal quality assurance and to external independent audit under the ISO 9001:2000 Certificate to which the Scottish Fingerprint Service is accredited.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the answers to questions S2W-20244 and S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005 and the level of media publicity regarding the case referred to in these answers, whether it is able to release any further information and whether it is able to comment on those matters beyond the fact that the case is active and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Cathy Jamieson: The case remains sub judice and I am not able to comment further.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the removal of hefted flocks of sheep can aid heather recovery.

Rhona Brankin: The report by Scotland’s Moorland Forum Principles of Moorland Management suggests that where heather is being overgrazed then a reduction or even temporary removal of stock for a period of years is a way forward.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local expertise should be taken into account by agencies such as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) when determining heather improvement policies.

Rhona Brankin: SNH has taken account of local expertise. Local concerns were expressed about SNH’s original intention to remove the stock completely from the mid hill heft at Dromore Farm. A meeting was held with those concerned and further expert advice was sought from bodies such as the Heather Trust, the National Sheep Association and direct experience of a manager of hefted stock within the Scottish Agricultural College. SNH decided to remove half the sheep from the mid hill heft and to off-winter the remaining stock.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) returns the hefted stock to Dromore Farm in Wigtownshire, in light of local concerns about their removal for the purpose of heather improvement.

Rhona Brankin: SNH is aware of local concerns and will undertake monitoring of the vegetation at Cairnsmore National Nature Reserve/Dromore Farm to assess when or if numbers of stock can be increased. The retention of half of the mid hill heft ensures that the stock numbers can be built up from stock that already know the hill ground.

  SNH retain nearly 500 breeding ewes at Dromore. The high hill heft remains in place. The stock currently being off-wintered will be returned to the hill in the spring.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what up-to-date information it has on the benefit to the economy of cruise line traffic.

Tavish Scott: While some information on cruise liner traffic is available, for example from the annual reports of some harbour authorities, this does not permit a wider assessment of the economic benefits of this business to Scotland. However, I understand that VisitScotland is carrying out research into the cruise liner market in Scotland which will address this issue. I have asked VisitScotland to write to the member once this research has been completed.

Traffic

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projections it has made in respect of the volume of traffic per day on the A80 in (a) 10, (b) 20 and (c) 30 years time.

Tavish Scott: Projections have been made for the years 2010 and 2025 for the existing A80 (do minimum) and for the upgrading of the route to motorway status (with scheme). Volumes vary along the route. Typical values are shown in the following tables:

  Do Minimum

  

 Route Section
 2010 Annual Average Daily Flow
 2025 Annual Average Daily Flow


 Muirhead to Mollinsburn
 49,000 – 53,000
 48,000 – 54,000


 Mollinsburn to Low Wood (Auchenkilns)
 86,000
 89,000


 Auchenkilns to Castlecary
 87,000 – 91,000
 93,000 – 99,000



  With Scheme

  

 Route Section
 2010 Annual Average Daily Flow
 2025 Annual Average Daily Flow


 Muirhead to Mollinsburn
 5,000 – 8,000
 7,000 – 9,000


 Mollinsburn to Low Wood (Auchenkilns)
 123,000
 134,000


 Auchenkilns to Castlecary
 104,000 – 107,000
 111,000

Transport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the strategic objectives of Transport Scotland are.

Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland’s purpose is to support the delivery of the Scottish Executive’s vision for sustainable transport in Scotland, making a real difference for people and businesses using the national rail and road systems. The specific aims, objectives and targets which Transport Scotland is tasked with delivering on behalf of ministers will be set out in the Corporate Plan 2006-08, which will be published in January 2006.

Transport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it considers that Transport Scotland will improve the transport system.

Tavish Scott: As an executive agency of the Scottish Executive, Transport Scotland will have a clear remit focused on delivery of transport services and delivery, distinct from the wider role of a Government department and with the relevant skills and resources all in one place. It therefore has a visible and understandable role in the eyes of the public, whilst remaining accountable to Scottish ministers through the Chief Executive.

  Transport Scotland will provide a centre of excellence with the right professional skills to deliver major transport projects in Scotland – making the most of the £3 billion capital programme for public transport and roads that we have committed over the next decade – as well as transport services which support integration – such as the national concessionary fares scheme, integrated ticketing and Real Time Information.

Voluntary Sector

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the insurance industry not to impose conditions on youth and outdoor education activities and on voluntary work by older people which discourage people from taking part in these activities.

Malcolm Chisholm: Government engagement in insurance matters impacting on youth and outdoor education activities and the voluntary sector at large is undertaken on a UK basis to mirror the way in which the insurance industry operates.

  Volunteering England has been commissioned to look into risk management in the voluntary sector across the UK. It will examine issues such as good practice development and dissemination and is due to report to the Home Office in June 2006.

  More generally, the Home Office acts as the champion of the voluntary sector on insurance matters. Together with the voluntary sector and the insurance industry, it is examining employers’ liability insurance, legal costs and full cost recovery. The three partners are also drawing together sources of practical advice and expertise with insurance issues and this will be disseminated to the voluntary sector. The Home Office is also facilitating on-going dialogue between the insurance industry and the voluntary sector on general insurance matters.